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Using Social Media with

YouthCharlotte McCorquodale, PhDMinistry Training Source

Let’s Get to Know Each Other

Who, What, Where?

Why did you choose this workshop?

What is one issue or trend that you believe is a challenge you face in forming young disciples?

What is one question or issue you hope we discuss today?

Where are we headed

today? Examine research on

social media use. Share about where

teenagers are with faith today.

Identify various ways today’s generation uses various forms of social media.

Discuss practical uses for using digital media and social networking in youth ministry

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A day in the life of social media….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iReY3W9ZkLU

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2013 Social Media Statistics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yxuljHX09I

“Because it is so different from mass media and mass communication, social media is creating a

new culture on this Digital Continent.Young people use it as their first point of

reference....The implications of that for a church which is struggling to get those same young

people to enter our churches on Sunday are staggering.

If the church is not on their mobile device, it doesn’t exist. The Church does not have to change its teachings to reach young people, but we must

deliver it to them in a new way.”

US Bishops on Social Media 6

According to Dr. Smith, “In our in-depth interviews with U.S. teenagers, we also found the vast majority of them to be incredibly inarticulate about their

faith, their religious beliefs and practices, and its meaning or place in

their lives” (Soul Searching, p. 131)…“Catholic

teenagers also tended to be particularly inarticulate about their

faith” (Soul Searching, p. 132).

Natonal Study of Youth and Religion

According to Dr. Smith, “religion actually appears to

operate much more as a taken-for-granted aspect of life, mostly

situated in the background of everyday living, which becomes salient only under very specific

conditions” (Soul Searching p. 130).

Natonal Study of Youth and Religion

Subjective Measures

Interest level in learning more about

religion

Percent Cumulative %

Very interested

23% 23%

Somewhat interested

51% 74%

Not very interested

20% 94%

Not at all interested

6% 100%

Total 100%

84% of Catholic youth

say it is somewhat

(42%), very (31%), or extremely

(11%) important in shaping their

daily life. (NFCYM Report, p.

34)

Objective Measures: Mass attendenceFrequency of Attendance

Catholic Youth

Parent of Catholic Youth

All Youth

More than once a week

6% 5% 16%

Once a week 33% 37% 24%

2-3 times a month 13% 15% 12%

Once a month 8% 8% 7%

Many times a year 8% 5% 8%

Few times a year 21% 18% 14%

Never 11% 12% 18%

Total 100% 100% 100%

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“…American youth actually share much more in common with adults than they do

not share, and most American youth faithfully mirror the aspirations,

lifestyles, practices, and problems of the adult world into which they are

socialized….adolescents may actually serve as a very accurate barometer of

the condition of the culture and institutions of our larger society…

American teenagers actually well reflect back to us the best and worst of our own

adult condition and culture.”- Christian Smith, National Study of Youth and Religion (2004)

iGeneration (2001 - ) Millennials (1980-2000) Generation X (1964-1979) Boomers (1946-1963) Builders (up to 1945)

Generational & Intergenerational

digital natives: web, social networking, digital media

ability to use technology to create a vast array of content

learning style: active, engaged, creative (project-centered), visual, practice & performance, digital

formed by media & visual learners

openness to change

desire for immediacy

iGeneration & New Ways to Learn

Teens and Technology2013 Pew Research

78% of teens now have a cell phone, and almost half (47%) of them own smartphones. That translates into 37% of all teens who have smartphones, up from just 23% in 2011.

23% of teens have a tablet computer, a level comparable to the general adult population.

95% of teens use the internet.

93% of teens have a computer or have access to one at home. Seven in ten (71%) teens with home computer access say the laptop or desktop they use most often is one they share with other family members.

What is the message you want to share?

Develop faith formation (learning, worship/ritual, faith practices) around lifecycle milestones, sacramental celebrations, and life transitions to deepen people’s faith, strengthen their engagement in church life, and equip them with practices for living their faith.

Milestones Faith Formation

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What are the milestones in

teenagers lives that we can celebrate?

How do we flip the faith formation classroom for

teens?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4RkudFzlc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4RkudFzlc

http://confirmation.stedward.com/

http://instagram.com/

http://youtube.com/

• More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month

• Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube—that's almost an hour for every person on Earth, and 50% more than last year

• 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute

http://bustedhalo.org/

https://outsidedabox.com/

Presentation Sources

Pew Research: pewresearch.org

http://www.pewforum.org/2010/02/17/religion-among-the-millennials/

Lifelong Faith Associates: lifelongfaith.com

Faith Formation 4.0 Julie Lyles

Faith Formation 2020